Networked computer systems including computers executing application sharing programs to permit the computers to share displayed information are widely known and used. In these computer systems, one computer (the host computer) transmits images of its desktop to a plurality of remote computers using such an application sharing program. The remote computers may use a variety of strategies to display the host computer desktop images depending on the operating environments of the remote computers.
Windows is a well-known operating environment for computers. In this operating environment, information to be presented to a user is displayed by a desktop graphical user interface in one or more windows. In computer systems that share displayed information and operate in the Windows environment, when images of the host computer desktop are transmitted to the remote computers, each remote computer displays the host computer desktop image within a window. Unfortunately, displaying the host desktop image in this manner can be problematic. If the host computer and the remote computers are running at the same display resolution, there generally will not be enough space in the windows to show the entire host computer desktop images due to the space taken by the borders of the windows.
To overcome this problem, a number of solutions have been proposed. One solution has been to scale the host computer desktop images prior to display in the windows. Unfortunately, this solution has proven to be unsatisfactory, because it results in loss of image data and decreased resolution. Another solution has been to provide the windows with scroll bars to allow users to view the entire host computer desktop images while maintaining image resolution. Although the entire host computer desktop images are available for viewing, only sections of the host computer desktop images can viewed at one time. In interactive environments, not being able to see the entire host computer desktop images is unacceptable. Yet another solution has been to display the host computer desktop images over the full screens of the remote computers. In this scenario, no space is required for the borders of windows and so display resolution issues are solved. Unfortunately, this scenario can be very confusing for users due to the fact that the host computer desktop images may look very similar, or even identical, to the desktop graphical user interfaces of the remote computers. This can make it very difficult for a user to tell at a glance if they are looking at their desktop graphical user interface or a host computer desktop image.
As will be appreciated, improvements in graphical user interfaces in environments where computers share displayed information, are desired. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel method and system for displaying shared image from a host computer on at least one remote computer in such a manner that it is evident on the remote computer that the image is from the host computer. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a novel desktop graphical user interface image that identifies to a viewer when it is an image that has been received from a host computer.